Flushing-valve.



H. G. GRIFFIN.

FLUSHING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, m4.

Patented J an. 25, 1916.

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THE COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. u.

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FLUSI-IING-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, rain.

Application filed March 27, 1914. Serial No. 827,525.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY G. GRIFFIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flushing- Valves,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in flushing valves for use onhopper closets, especially when exposed to intense cold, and

its objects are: first, to provide a flushing valve that will. preventthe contact of water with the actuating spring, and the danger offreezing the spring in very cold weather and thus rendering the valveinoperative, and, second, to provide a means whereby the forming ofvalve seats may be dispensed with. I attain these objects by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 isan elevation of a closet bowl and the upper end of the flushing valvebarrel in section showing the manner of connecting the closet seat withthe flushing appliances. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the flushingvalve proper showing its several passageways and the application of thevalve. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the main trap, and Fig. 4 is a verticalsection of an ordinary flushing valve and its connections, entered forthe purpose of illustrating the difference in construction and operationof the two valves.

Similar numerals and letters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

I will first proceed to describe the action of the valve in common use,for the purpose of later making the advantages of my valve the moreapparent. WVith ordinary valves the general construction is somewhatsimilar to that shown in Fig. A where the Water is shut off from thecity main by means of a seated valve, as 10, and when it is desired toflush a closet said valve is raised from its seat and water may flowinto the barrel 7. At this time the packing 10' is raised upwardsufficiently to close the passageway to the outflow pipe 6 and the watermay flow through the port Z) into the pipe 8" and thence out through theport a into the upper end of the barrel whence it flows by the collar 15and the spring 9 through the pipe 5' and to the closet basin. In thisoperation the valve 10 is actuated through the stem 8 by means of anactuating lever from the closet seat acting upon the bar 4, exactly aswith my valve connections, as hereinafter fully described.

It will be readily understood that if water is forced to flow around thespring 9 and out of the port 5 to reach the closet basin, in very coldweather and these parts unprotected, the water will be held from a cleanfree flow out of the barrel 7 by the spring 9', and will, in a shorttime, become frozen around the spring and the valve stem to such anextent as to render the valve wholly inoperative. To obviate thisdiliiculty, and prevent any water from coming in contact with theactuating spring 9, in my. valve, I form a body A having a main barrel AA and branch outlets B and 6. The valve 10 is held, normally, in theposition indicated by its solid lines in Fig. 2, when the flow of waterfrom the main pipe 11 is wholly shut off and no water flows into thebarrel A. In this position any water that may flow back from the pipe 5,flows directly out of the pipe or port 6 to the sewer, and there isalways enough water between the outflow pipe and the outflow opening Bto form a perfect trap.

If the valve 10 is raised to the position indicated by its dotted linesin Fig. 2 the passageway between the opening B and the opening 6 isclosed and that between the water main l1 and the opening 13 is free forthe flow of Water from the main pipe through the passageway B and thepipe 5 for the free flushing of the basin 1, but in no case can anywater rise above the outflow pipe 6 so as to come in contact with thespring 9, so that this spring is always free to actuate the valve, nomatter what the weather may be or how much the spring may be exposed tothe cold. This class of closets are supposed to be used, only, where itis necessary to place them out of doors or in places, where they areexposed to extreme cold, and the flushing valve A is placed low enoughin the ground or in a warm basement to avert the danger of ever beingaffected by the frost, but just above the location of the main closettrap 13 so that any water flowing out of the outflow pipe 6 in my valve,or 6 in the ordinary valve, will flow into the pipe 12 above the trap13, so there will be no danger of sewer gases passing through the trap13 into the barrel 7, by the course hereinbefore described. It is, ofcourse, to be understood that any water or other matter passing into thetrap 13 will pass out through the end 16 into the sewer when the seat 2is pressed-downward upon,

the top of the bowl 1 the arm 3 will be forced upward and will raise thebar 4, as indicated by its dotted lines'in Fig. 1, and, through thevalve rod 8 the valve 10 is raised with it, and the valve 10 is forceddownward against the pressure of the .water belowit, to position belowthe opening B, by means of the spring 9 acting on the collar 15. It .isnecessary, ofcourse, for the spring 9 to be capableof exercisingconsiderably more pressure on the collar 15 than the pressure of waterbelow the valve 10 so as to positively insure the closingof this valvewhen the seat 2 is relieved and allowed to assume its normal positionindicated by its solid lines in Fig. 1. This seat is pivoted tothecloset bowl 'or basin, as dicated at 17 so the arm ,3 always moves inthe reverse direction from the seat.

It will be noted that with this-construction it is impossible, for anywater to come in contact with the spring 9 as no water from the main 11can pass the valve 10 whether it is in its normal position at 10 or inits raised position as indicated by its dotted lines, and the outflow ofwater through the pipe 6 is so free that it will easily carry off allwater that sets'back 'from the pipe 5, after the valve 10 has beenreturned :to :its normal position, Without allowing it to rise above thesaid outflow pipe, hence the spring 9 and all portions of 1 the'body orpipe 7 is dry above the pipe 6 so that no ice can form at any time or inany manner. 7

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

'In a flushing valve, a long, vertically disposed barrel having a directconnection with a \wateremaimapipe extending upward from the upper endof the barrel forminga housing for a long valve rod, a long valve rod insaid housing, a cylindrical valve secured to the lower end of said rod,a spring connected with said rod to hold saidvalve normally closedagainst the passage of water from-the water main into the v valvebarrel, discharge opening through the side ,of the valve barrel abovethe normal position of.tl'iev valve, a second opening through the side.of the barrel above the discharge opening with space between the two,side openings to perfectly seat the valve, and means for raising andlowering the valve from any desired distance above the valve barrel.

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, March 20, 1914:.

HENRY Gr. GRIFFIN. In presence o.f-

ARTHUR W. SNOWDEN, I. J. CI LEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five-cents each, byaddressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). C.

